Her admirers called her the "Queen of Her Profession".
In ill health, she was forced to sell her art collection after losing her home in a German air raid during WWII. She told her friends that she considered herself lucky, "Hitler has taken nearly everything from me but my life, but you can't live on regret. You've got to live for the present and future, not the past.".
Said that at first acting in movies "frightened her".
She was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to drama.
Switched to more dramatic roles after gaining stardom in musical comedy and light opera.